Members of South Meriden Trinity United Methodist Church were among the hundreds from our Connecticut District who gathered at Hamden Plains UMC on Tuesday night for an evening of joyful singing and prayer, great food and conversation, training, and a very important presentation by our New York Annual Conference Bishop Tom Bickerton.

​As the evening started, everyone in attendance received a special pen that lit up in the dark - we waved them to express our faith that our churches can be the light of God's world! Our thanks to Jeanne King and Mary Barker, who attended these workshops. They came home with important information that they will share in the weeks ahead.

We have people interested in becoming new members of our church - as well as current members who need to be ready to walk alongside new members in renewed United Methodist discipleship.​Everyone, including long-time members and youths, are encouraged to attend three sessions in January that will explore three key topics that are essential for success in church membership:

What does it mean to be a Methodist Christian?

What does is mean to be a United Methodist?

What does mean to be a member of a United Methodist Local Church?

A schedule for signup will be available in our sanctuary through December. There will be multiple time slots available, and you are free to "mix and match" time slots that work best for your schedule.

Each session will be about two hours in length, ending with a church-wide weekend mission project in our community at the end of our class time in late January or early February. Later in February, we will welcome those wishing to become new members of the church at a Sunday worship service.

To help both existing and new members to become more effective together in Christian ministry and discipleship, EVERY church member and church friend is encouraged to attend these sessions.

As we get ready for a year of becoming a church that invites us and our community into God's possibilities, January will be the time for us to remember how to invite those possibilities as a Methodist Christian community - and to welcome new people into the church who can join us in inviting those possibilities. We are already in a new year of Christian faith - let's get ready to open the gifts of faith in fresh new ways!

The people of South Meriden Trinity United Methodist Church have been devoted to ministries and mission through Unity House, our former parsonage on Cutlery Avenue, for more than fifteen years. In connexion with other local United Methodist Churches and other local institutions, the Unity House mission team has prepared it for new seasons of doing God's work for refugee families and for local young adults and their families.

Now the Unity House team has received a special affirmation of support from The New York Annual Conference's Connectional Ministries - a $2,500 grant to help fund Unity House 2019 ministries.

We are deeply grateful for this affirmation of our goals and our efforts, and we hope and pray that everyone who loves and supports Unity House will consider this a beginning point for ensuring the long-term health and success of Unity House's mission to Meriden and the world Thank you, NYAC, thank you, Matt Curry, and all of the supporting members of NYAC leadership. May all of our ministries together in Christ be blessed!

The Unity House team managed to bring forth a great turnout for our first volunteer recruiting "roadshow" event at the Meriden Public Library on The evening of Tuesday, October 2nd. Experienced and newcomer volunteers heard an overview presentation of the new effort to welcome a refugee family to Unity House later this year, and signed up for the functional teams that will support this family.

There is still time to spread the word, and learn more about this great effort to bring the good news of God's universal love to families from war-torn nations seeking a new start in life. Contact Pastor John Blossom for details, or fill out the volunteer registration form and FAQ here and below. You can see the "roadshow presentation below also. Please consider joining this effort, and suggesting others who might be interested in helping!

While our office has for many years sent out birthday and anniversary cards to our members, Jeanne King came up with the idea of making this ministry a group ministry for all of our interested members to join. As you can see in the photo, we had a GREAT turnout for the first card-writing get-together this Monday, as members caught up with August anniversaries and birthdays, and got ahead of the curve for September birthdays.

We thank Jeanne and every one who turned out for this joyful celebration of our love for our community in Christ, and we thank Charlene Bodero and Emily Belanger, who continue to support our members and church friends who are ill and who have lost loved ones recently. We are a loving, sharing and caring church, and we are so grateful for members who "walk the talk" of faith. Watch our announcements for the next "write'in" event!

Pastors of churches across the Connecticut District of our United Methodist Church New York Conference visit each others' churches regularly for a time of praise and prayer in support of each church's ministries, leaders, and communities. On Wednesday, CT District Pastors visited our church, and rejoiced in all that we have as a church and as a mission field, and lifted us all up in heart-lifting prayers. They prayed with their hands on the shoulders of our Pastor John Blossom, and then enjoyed some of Neil's Donuts in our fellowship halll. Our work as a congregation growing in Christ does not go unnoticed, and our ministries and our people have been covered in powerful prayers. Have faith! We are all together in Christ! Amen.

Our thanks again for all of the 23+ members and friends of our four local United Methodist Churches who helped to get Meriden's Women and Families Center (WFC) program for transitional aged youth (TAY) ready to go! Video is below. We had a joy-filled day painting four residence rooms for the TAY program to help youths who want guidance in getting their adult lives off to a good start. We thank Roy Graham and Carissa Conway for inviting us to pitch in as a way to start our mission relationship with the TAY team. Carissa gave a wonderful and heartfelt overview of TAY's goals at lunch, which was provided by the women of our church. Before we started our afternoon work, we gathered to bless and anoint the TAY center. Shout-outs to everyone in mission from First UMC Meriden, First UMC Wallingford, and Cheshire UMC, who joined us!

We have a lot to be thankful for as a church, and lots to celebrate, as we move towards reviving our key ministries and reach out to our community with Christian hope! ​Join our new District Superintendent Rev. Alpher Sylvester at our upcoming church charge conference, as we review the past year, conduct official business, and prepare for a new year. Your presence really matters, and we hope that you will be able to make it. Thank you ALL for being God's church in South Meriden!

As you may be aware, the 2016 General Conference of The United Methodist Church established a "Commission on a Way Forward" to help define the agenda for a special General Conference to be held in 2019. This special General Conference will focus on how the church organizes itself in relation to differing and deeply held convictions regarding church doctrine on human sexuality and related matters.

The following video provides a slide presentation with "bullet points" describing the commission's progress to date. It ends with a short video of prominent UMC author and Pastor Ed Berlin describing how Jesus' parable of the vine in John 15 may reflect how we can move forward as a global church that incorporates a wide array of cultural outlooks under a common umbrella of powerful and transformational missions, shaped by Wesleyan theology.

The book is a journey through the lives of everyday people who differ passionately on important issues at home, at work, and in the world, but have areas of common interest that can draw them together in peace.. ​A free download of a sample of the book is available from the publisher, as well as from Google Play. More information on the study group will be coming in September.

​If you have questions regarding the Way Forward commission video or want to help organize the study group, contact Pastor John for details.